Do you have an extra $20,000 to indulge yourself with a retro-styled Ducati that delivers just 72 horsepower (claimed)? Well, if you do, you can consider the new, limited edition Formula 73.
Here is Ducati’s press release describing this model:
- Produced in a limited series of 873 numbered units, the Formula 73 celebrates the Super Sport 750 Desmo, one the most iconic models in Ducati history.
- An Urban Café Racer that combines modern technology with the authentic charm of the 750 Super Sport Desmo.
- The short film A Piece of Timeless celebrates the birth of this special bike.
Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 12 February, 2026 – In its centenary year, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer presents the Formula 73, a motorcycle that revives, in a modern version, the spirit of a model and an era that helped create the Ducati legend and inspired the principles that still guide it today. The Formula 73 celebrates the 750 Super Sport Desmo, the first Ducati road bike equipped with a desmodromic valve timing system.
The Super Sport was in fact a replica of the 750 Imola Desmo with which Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari triumphed in the 1972 200 Miglia di Imola, the first European competition for production-derived motorcycles, a formula which in the 1980s would give rise to Superbike. The historic victory at Imola and the subsequent birth of the 750 Super Sport Desmo represented the first and fundamental episode in Ducati’s saga in production-derived racing, where it has achieved a world championship record that now stands at more than 400 victories, sixteen rider titles and twenty-one manufacturer titles.
The 750 Super Sport Desmo was born in a decade of great change and contrasts, marked by intense cultural creativity. It was a period characterised by changes in society and a widespread desire for renewal. An extraordinary artistic vitality influenced music, cinema, fashion and thought, making the 1970s a complex and deeply significant era.
The Formula 73 was created today as a tribute to that epoch-making motorcycle, which already embodied the values of Style, Sophistication and Performance that have inspired Ducati ever since. The Formula 73 is a model dedicated to motorcycle enthusiasts with timeless charm, who love to stand out by riding a bike with an unmistakable design and strong personality, shunning conformity and paying attention to every detail in their daily lives.
The Formula 73 is the star of the short film ‘A Piece of Timeless’, in which Italian actor Stefano Accorsi, a great Ducati enthusiast, reflects on his experience of trying it for the first time. Stefano, drawing a parallel between riding a motorcycle and acting, recounts his relationship with acting and the world of motorsports in this film.
Unmistakable personality
The Ducati Formula 73 line is a contemporary reinterpretation of the legendary 1973 750 Super Sport Desmo. Sleek and slender, this bike conveys agility thanks to its minimalist yet elegant aesthetics. Equipped with the iconic air-cooled Ducati twin-cylinder engine, it combines the rebellious spirit of Urban Café Racers with the timeless charm of what many collectors consider to be the most significant motorcycle in Ducati’s history.
Every detail contributes to making the Formula 73 unique. The silver and aqua green livery, inspired by the original 750 Super Sport Desmo, is the result of careful research in the company’s historical archives carried out by the Ducati Style Centre. The vertical gold stripe on the tank echoes the original unpainted strip on the 750 Imola Desmo, which allowed the team to check the fuel level without complicating and weighing down the bike with additional instruments. The clip-on handlebars with bar-end mirrors, the short, tapered fairing and tail confirm the Café Racer personality of this collector’s bike.
The many billet aluminium components, such as the brake and clutch levers with oil reservoirs, the footpegs and the Rizoma fuel cap supplied as standard, catch the eye and further enhance a bike designed to be admired both when stationary and in motion.
Like all Ducati limited edition models, the Formula 73 features the model name and serial number on the steering plate. Each bike comes with a certificate of authenticity, as well as a collection of period images and sketches created by the Ducati Style Centre, presented in a special box.
Innovation in tradition
The Ducati Formula 73 is a timeless creation, faithful to the technical solutions that made the 750 Super Sport Desmo iconic, yet at the same time a modern, high-tech motorcycle.
Its 803 cc Desmodue engine is an L-twin with desmodromic distribution and two valves, Euro5+ approved, faithful to the technical standards on which Ducati built its legend in the 1970s and 1980s. An authentic engine, capable of 73 horsepower at 8,250 rpm, which goes beyond the concept of performance to unequivocally define the personality of the Formula 73, becoming a fundamental element of both the style and riding experience of the bike. The silencer, developed in collaboration with Termignoni with aesthetic details specifically designed for this model, gives the bike a full and evocative voice, and the Ride-by-Wire throttle makes the engine response quick, progressive and smooth even at low revs.
The steel trellis frame of the Formula 73 reinforces the connection with the Super Sport Desmo that inspired it. Sleek and painted in aqua green, it becomes part of the livery and, together with the 17-inch spoked wheels with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres, contributes to making the bike manoeuvrable and easy to ride.
The Formula 73 is a complete motorcycle, thanks to its electronic systems, which include DTC traction control, Cornering ABS, the Ducati Quick Shift system and two Riding Modes. This makes every ride, from your commute to work to trips over mountain passes, safer and more enjoyable, making every moment spent in the saddle unique.
Availability
Fans wishing to complete their look with technical garments inspired by the aesthetics of this collector’s motorcycle can choose a helmet, created in collaboration with Arai, and a sports jacket that echo the Formula 73 livery. The Ducati Formula 73 will be produced in a numbered series limited to 873 units and will arrive in European dealerships in spring 2026. Distribution will be completed in the rest of the world by the end of summer.
The launch video of the bike is available on Ducati’s YouTube official channel.
#DucatiWorldPremiere2026 #Ducati2026 #Formula73
Formula 73
- Livery
- 750 Super Sport Desmo replica
- Main standard equipment
- Desmodue engine, 803 cm3
- Maximum power: 73 CV @ 8,250 RPM
- Maximum torque: 65.2 Nm @ 7,000 RPM
- Type-approved Termignoni silencer
- Wet weight no fuel: 183 Kg
- Steel trellis frame
- Upside-down 41 mm KYB front fork
- KYB shock, preload adjustable
- Front brake: 4-piston Brembo radial caliper and 330 mm disc
- Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres, 120/70 and 180/55
- Electronic package with Inertial Measurement Unit: cornering ABS; Ducati Traction Control (DTC); Power Modes; Ducati Quick Shift (DQS)
- Full TFT 4,3” dashboard
- Riding Modes (Sport, Road)
- Full-LED lights with DRL
- Ducati Multimedia System (DMS) ready, Turn-by-turn navigation
If $20K is what a rich person calls “pizza money” (and such people do exist) then by all means splurge on a sleek, 73 hp toy like this. Even an unskilled old guy could crack it WOT without high-siding, crashing into guard rails, or blending into the grill of a Freightliner.
Generally speaking the best way to terminate a loop is back home, not in a hospital. Sensible riding lasts longer than ‘look at me I’m a racer’.
All these macho comments about wimpy horsepower are sadly missing the point on a street motorcycle.
1. A motorcycle is a vehicle for transportation from here to there.
2. Why it is unique, is its ability to lean into the zone, hopefully with a smooth flow and cadence from curve to corner. Just like flying.
Now every earth human would like to fly, so horsepower, useful for straight lines and steep hills, is irrelevant for flying nap of the earth.
This summer go for a local ride without all the gear, just a tee shirt, sneakers, jeans, and a comb in your back pocket. It will be a time machine to fly, with ANY reasonable horsepower.
Yea I know, … IMHO.
Looks an awful lot like the Sport Classic of 20 years ago, with the same kind of wimpy horsepower. Definitely not worth $20K.
Remebering “Tron” movie.
I’m sorry… 73 hp for 20 grand… no thanks. And where is the back end of it? Paint and color are nice but the front profile is really strange. Not worth the price Ducati.
I don’t think that baby is going to age well. Ducati has already made better looking Scrambler models, which is basically what this bike is. And if that fairing doesn’t look a whole lot better in the flesh it will only sell to collectors only.
Au Contraire, this is a light, disciplined looking mechanical motorcycle, with just a touch of aerodynamic sex. A bike for the straight and twisty weekend summer mornings in Tuscany.
I’m taking down my Farrah Fawcett bathing suit poster, and replacing it with this ‘quick like a bunny’ silver bullet.
Who Chi Momma !
Really? Wow. This thing isn’t growing on me at all. I’ve poked around more articles and more photos only find more not to like. It ain’t got nothing on a Nightshift, which cost $8000 less, for me for instance. But beauty is in the eye of the beer holder I guess.
They could have at least make the thing out of the 1100. Those 800s are really nice engines and all. But the 1100? I have two of them. Not Scramblers. But a Multistrada S and a Hypermotard SP Corse. I really like that engine. Actually I like the 1000 that came in the Multistrada a little better. They have more aggressive cams. They don’t run at low RPM as smoothly. So don’t ride them there. Run then around 4000rpm all the time. They run smooth there and they are always ready to rip from there. I often think of replacing the cams in at least one of my 1100s with 2004 1000 Multistrada camshafts. That would be interesting. Both engines make about the same amount of power. So theoretically an 1100 with 1000 cams could make in the neighborhood of 10% more power. And be a more aggressive ripper all the while. What’s not to like?
Ever since I first saw a 250 Duc in the mid 60s, even with rusty Allen screws, they were an artful motorcycle in my mind. The engines alone ( Air cooled ) could set on a coffee table as striking as any statue in marble. Another world away from English, Japanese, or Harley.
Then everything changed, BUT, this 73 reminds me of that light special look. IMO 750 to 900 cc is the most practical road size, any more affects the overall performance and practice usage. 650 to 750 is a sweet spot for again, overall road quickness. Torque should work hand and hand with lightness, with aerodynamics the icing on the package. Do not like the X over the bright eye up front, gotta go.
The X on the headlight is common to all the Scramblers. Why I couldn’t tell you. I think it’s a styling element that should be made easily removable. It seems that the industry has been making poor headlight choices for decades now. Maybe they put the X there just as an industry standard.
Yo Luigi! That headlight doesn’t look like a poor choice. Put an X on it or something.
Since Ducati ceased production of the 1100 Scrambler some while ago, it wouldn’t have been an option to base this model on it. Maybe emissions regs saw it off? I agree it is/was a nice engine, as I have a 2019 Scrambler 1100 Special, spoked wheels, chromed exhaust, double front discs and all.
These will sell within minutes of release.
Beautiful and worth every penny. Now we’re talkin !